SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — One spent a decade giving everything he had to the program. A commitment from the other proved to be far more elusive.

On Tuesday, as the U.S. national team prepared to kick off the final round of CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying competition here against Honduras, Landon Donovan and Timmy Chandler were the names most frequently mentioned in pregame interviews. In different ways, they are the faces of Wednesday's Hexagonal opener (4 p.m. ET, BeIN Sport).

Donovan, the anchor of the national team's attack since the 2002 World Cup and the player most associated with U.S. soccer in Latin America, isn't here. Chandler, a talented, German-born defender who toyed with fans' emotions for months as he avoided games that would tie him permanently to the U.S., is in Honduras and eager to represent his father's native land.

As one commitment has wavered, another has blossomed just in time to help the U.S. negotiate the treacherous road to next year's World Cup.

It was a recent trip to Russia, ironically, that helped Chandler, 22, finally make peace with his international fate.

FC Nurnberg's right back first played for the U.S. in March 2011, when former coach Bob Bradley called him in for a pair of exhibitions. Chandler played well but declined an invitation to participate in that summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, an official competition that would have "cap-tied" him to the U.S.

His emergence as one of FCN's key players, along with U.S. Soccer's interest, likely left Chandler wondering if the German national team had its eye on him as well. In the fall of 2011, he played in six more exhibitions for the U.S. But when coach Jurgen Klinsmann approached him last spring about joining the U.S. to prepare for the semifinal-round qualifiers, Chandler balked once again.

"He's simply just maturing," Klinsmann said. "He's growing into his role as a full-time professional, and that's why we were very patient with Timmy to mature. It's a coach's job to understand where certain players are in their own process and pick them up to help them get to the next level."

Klinsmann's patience paid off. He invited Chandler to play in the November exhibition against Russia in Krasnodar, and the young defender quickly realized he belonged.

"I liked the mentality of the team and the trainer and everything very much," Chandler said Tuesday. "It's a little like family."

Both player and coach say Chandler is fully committed to the U.S. cause. Understandably, a bit of skepticism remained. But when Chandler showed up in Miami over the weekend — several reporters were watching the U.S. leave its Coconut Grove hotel Monday to make sure he really was there — the final hurdle was cleared.

"It's about time, you know? There's been a lot of back and forth. Probably too much, if you ask me, but that's my opinion," U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "Obviously, commitment is a big thing for us. So if that's what he's going to do, we're excited because he's a fantastic player."

With longtime U.S. right back Steve Cherundolo out with a knee injury, Chandler's decision is timely. He said he is starting to feel more American as the months go by. He's expected to start Wednesday at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano and said the chemistry feels right.

"Germany is a lot of discipline and everything," Chandler said. "The stereotype is true. Here, it's very chill. It's very fun with the team, and I love when I come in. I feel very proud now to play for the U.S. national team. I'm proud to be here and to play the game tomorrow."

While American reporters focused on Chandler, the Honduran media was trying to get used to the idea of watching a U.S. national team minus Donovan.

No one has scored more goals in a U.S. jersey and only one man, Cobi Jones, has played more games. Donovan had been a qualifying constant and a thorn in the side of CONCACAF foes. But with his hiatus from the game now entering its third month and with his return still unconfirmed, Klinsmann has been forced to move forward without him. Here in Honduras, the coach and his players tried to get the local press used to that strange idea.

"Right now, he's not here. We have no problem with that," Klinsmann said Tuesday. "We have a team full of talent, a team full of players that know how to get jobs done and when one player's not there, another one jumps in. It's a huge opportunity for whoever fills in that spot and does really well and we have so many good leaders within the group.

"It's absolutely no problem for us."

Sporting Kansas City's Graham Zusi played well in an attacking right midfield role in the fall and might do so again Wednesday. But Klinsmann has multiple options, players and formations from which to choose. The U.S. is moving on.

"I wouldn't necessarily agree with you that Landon was the king and the leader," Howard said when asked how the U.S. would cope without Donovan. "We have a bunch. He was the winning cap leader, of course. But we have a lot of guys in there who have gained a lot of respect from the guys."